Winter Rhapsody
by tsukihito
Summary: Under the supervision of a grey and frosty winter, music reunites two childhood friends. A simple serenade was all that they wanted............. HitsugayaXHinamori ON HIATUS
1. Time to say Goodbye

Hello! Hmmmm this is my first time posting a fanfic on this site, so I don't really know what to say………..um………..well basically, this fanfic is called "Winter Rhapsody," and it's a HitsugayaXHinamori, and Ch. 1 is kind of like a flashback thingie. Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to read this, or glance at it before moving on the next, more exciting fanfictions out there, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters mentioned here. If I did, I would be a genius! All hail the mighty Kubo Tite-Sensei! kneels on the ground and worships collection of bleach manga

Ch 1: Time to say Goodbye

"Shiro-Chan………."

10-year-old Hinamori Momo stood on the front lawn of a large house, a moving van parked in front of her, tears steaming down her face.

"I'm- gonna miss you- soooooo much!" She managed to say, between great, heaving sobs. She reached over and locked her best friend of 7 years into a tight hug, sobbing freely into his shoulder.

7-year-old Hitsugaya Toshiro looked slightly taken aback for a second.

"Hinamori……." He whispered, not liking to see his best friend so troubled. He slowly returned the hug, wrapping his arms slowly around her shoulders.

"It won't be so bad," Hitsugaya whispered, trying to comfort the sobbing Hinamori. "We can still write letters to each other, and you can still come to visit during school breaks. I would be more concerned about you wetting the bed in your new apartment."

"Hey!" Hinamori exclaimed, releasing the hug. "I'm-10 years old now! I thought- I told you-not to call me that!"

"But its true," Hitsugaya replied, a small smirk playing on his lips. "You are a bed wetter, Bed Wetter Momo. And besides, you still call me Shiro-Chan."

"Because-you are Shiro-Shiro-Chan," Hinamori replied between sobs, a small smile spreading across her face. They stood in silence for a moment as Hinamori's crying died down, savoring the moment and each other's presence.

A loud car honk sounded, bringing the duo back to reality, and making Hinamori jump.

"Momo, sweetie, its time to go!" Called her mom's voice from inside a blue car parked behind the moving van.

"Coming," Hinamori called back. She looked Hitsugaya in the eyes. "Lets keep in touch, ok? We'll write letters to each other, and when I see you again, you have to accompany me in a song on the piano." She extended her left pinky. "Yakusoku?"

Hitsugaya said nothing, and looked away as he wrapped his left pinky over Hinamori's.

"Ok, it's a promise!" Replied Hinamori. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she hugged Hitsugaya tightly for one last time.

"Ja ne, Shiro-Chan," Hinamori whispered slowly, as if the words were too hard to say out loud. Tears began to fall freely down her cheeks again as she released him from the tight embrace, and began walking toward the blue car.

"Just make sure you don't wet the bed too much in your new apartment!" Hitsugaya called after her. "The owners might get mad if you do."

The engines of the moving van and blue car roared to life. Great clouds of dust were kicked up into the air as the moving van began to chug slowly down the street. The blue car followed, Hinamori waving at Hitsugaya until they were well down the street and out of sight.

Hitsugaya stood looking after the blue car and van, long after they had disappeared, a deep sadness laced into his icy blue eyes and heart. It was a big, heavy sorrow, one that weighed on Hitsugaya like a large stone threatening to crush him.

"Sayonara, Hinamori," Hitsugaya breathed in a voice barely above a whisper, looking down the street one last time before turning and heading back to his house next door.

So what do you think? Please read and review, any constructional criticism will be accepted, as long as its not full on story bashing. There is quite a sudden shift in story, as Ch. 2 is in the present storyline, so I'm sorry if the shift is too sudden. Thank you very much for reading!


	2. Nachtmusik

Hi again! Ummmm here is Ch. 2, and the beginning of the storyline. Sorry it's such a big jump from Ch. 1. Thank you so much for reading this far! Oh and "Nachtmusik" means "night music," or serenade.

Dislaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the characters mentioned in this story. If I did, Ukitake, Kyouraku, and Hanatarou would appear a lot more, and Hinamori wouldn't be enamored with Aizen. She would realize that he was just messing with her and slap him around a bit.

Ch. 2: Nachtmusik (night music)

"Ok, with that being said, have a great winter vacation everyone! See you in 3 weeks! Don't forget to do those winter homework assignments!"

A roar of voices and the sound of chairs scraping against tile sounded through class 1-A of Sendou High School, as eager students stood up and began to file out of the classroom.

Among those students was 16-year-old Hitsugaya Toshiro. He stood, grabbed his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder lazily, heading thru the door of the classroom with his usual stoic and brooding expression.

Hitsugaya exited the school and stood at the stoplight, his breath forming little puffs of air in front of him. Though the walk to his destination was long, and it was quite chilly out, he didn't mind, and chose the open wintry air over the cramped bus. He didn't know why, but for some reason he'd always had a certain fondness for winter. He felt more comfortable in the cold climate and overcast skies, as opposed to the bright and muggy summer. He always felt suffocated and blinded by the extreme heat and sunshine of that horrid season. It was by far his least favorite. There were other reasons, ones that occurred some 9 years ago………………………….

The crossing light changed from red to green, and Hitsugaya crossed the street. The city he now lived in was a pretty bustling place compared to the small, rural town he lived in during his childhood. People packed the streets and sidewalks, and the city was constantly in motion. This took awhile for Hitsugaya to get used too, the lights and sounds of the city keeping him up for many a night when he first arrived. But by now he was used to it, so much so that he could navigate the streets of the busy city pretty well, and sleep through almost anything.

Hitsugaya stopped at another street light in front of small antiques shop, and stared through the frosty glass at the artifacts inside.

In the front display was an old, wooden toy piano. It was modeled like a baby grand, but small enough for a young child to play on.

He was immediately reminded of Hinamori.

"_Lets keep in touch, ok? We'll write letters to each other, and when I see you again, you have to accompany me in a song on the piano." She extended her left pinky. "Yakusoku?"_

They had promised to keep in touch, but ever since that day, he hadn't received one word from Hinamori. No letters, no visits, nothing. Hitsugaya had no idea where Hinamori was now or what she could be doing. It hurt him terribly, but knowing the circumstances, he perfectly understood why this ended up happening, and knew there was nothing he could do to change anything. He just hoped that wherever she was, she was safe and happy.

He snapped out of his little reverie and crossed yet another street, slightly increasing his speed. He was heading to his godfather's lounge, as he heard they would need extra help tonight. As he briskly walked through the streets, a wintry breeze blew against his face, staining his pale cheeks with a rosy glow. He pulled his black overcoat and black and while checkered tie tighter around his body.

A half hour later, Hitsugaya found himself standing in front of Nachtmusik and its familiar redwood sign with its name in the middle, carved out of redwood and surrounded by 2 golden music notes. He quickly opened the heavy redwood doors and stepped inside.

During the day, Nachtmusik was an ordinary coffee shop, serving the normal lattes and pastries and the like. But at night, it transformed into a gorgeous lounge, a place of elegance and music.

Nachtmusik was decorated in redwood, with a color scheme of various shades of brown and beige. The coffee bar that was open from early in the morning through the night was on the left, and the bar that only opened at 6:00 in the evening was on the right. 10 stylish yet homey redwood tables draped with beige table cloths, complimented with redwood chairs, adorned the center of the room. 2 plush tan couches lined the back wall, and 4 more were placed in each corner of the room. In the center of the room was a slightly elevated redwood stage, where various musical acts would play nightly. The stage was truly the heart of Nachtmusik, and was what gave the lounge its graceful, relaxing atmosphere and charm. People came for the coffee and drinks, but stayed for the music.

As he expected, a long line had formed at the coffee bar. Kotsubaki Sentarou and Kotetsu Kiyone rushed about the coffee bar at lightning speed, flipping various bottles and syrups in their hands, locked in an intense battle to see who could serve the most customers first.

"Here you go sir, one iced Thai latte!" Kiyone presented with a flourish. "Your total will be $3.75!" She rang the customer up, then sniggered at Kotsubaki. "Hah, that was customer number 5 for me! How many have you served, 1? 2?

"For your information, booger girl, I will now be serving customer number 8!" Kotsubaki exclaimed as the next customers stepped up to order. "Good luck catching up!"

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, take this!" Kiyone yelled as booty bumped Kotsubaki out of the way and began serving his customer.

"Hey booger girl, that was my customer, MINE!" Kotsubaki seethed. "Get your own!" He bumped Kiyone out of the way and grabbed the bottle of caramel that was in her hand.

"You moron, you don't even know what the customer ordered!" Kiyone exclaimed as she tried to wrench the caramel out of his hands. They began a vicious tug of war with the caramel bottle, spraying caramel all along the counter and everywhere but the customer's drink.

Hitsugaya sighed disapprovingly and shook his head. They could be so childish sometimes.

He glanced to the bar side and was surprised to see that it was open, as it was only 4 in the afternoon, and that his godfather, Ukitake Jyuushiro, was behind the counter. He was wiping the inside of a newly washed crystal wineglass with a white cloth, a pleasant expression across his face. He looked up from his task, and as he spotted Hitsugaya by the door, flashed him a warm smile and wave.

"Hey Toshiro, had a good last day of school?" Ukitake asked cheerfully, abandoning his task and walking toward his beloved godson.

"The usual," replied Hitsugaya impassively. He pointed a finger at the coffee bar. "Kotsubaki-san and Kotetsu-san are fighting again."

Ukitake's smile faded as he shifted his gaze to the coffee bar. The duo was now fighting over the whipped cream bottle. He sighed, shaking his head. "What am I going to do with those two?" he asked, exasperated.

"Oi, Kotsubaki! Kotetsu!" Ukitake yelled in a stern voice. The duo froze in mid grab as if they were caught red handed stealing. "Quit fooling around and get back to work!"

Kotsubaki and Kiyone put down the whipped cream bottle sheepishly and apologized. "Were very sorry, boss!" They exclaimed with low bows.

"I'm sorry boss, it was all the booger girls fault, she the one that started this crazy challenge-"

"No, no, it wasn't me, it was him, I swear-"

"I don't care who started it," Ukitake said severely, "Just stop fighting and start working! Quarreling won't make the line get any shorter."

"Right away boss!" Kotsubaki and Kiyone exclaimed, and went onto serve the next customers as fast as they could.

"Those two can be such goofballs sometimes," Ukitake commented.

"Ojisan, why is the bar open so early?" Hitsugaya asked, wondering about the unusually early opening time. "And where's Kyouraku-san and Ise-san? Aren't they supposed to be running it?"

"Oh, Shunsui and Ise are out picking up a special order of sake," Ukitake replied. "And as for the reason that the bar is open early……." A knowing smile spread across his face. "We have a "special" performer tonight. They'll be performing at 5, and have a 2 hour set, so we decided to open the bar early to serve more customers before the performance starts. Get changed and switch places with Kotsubaki so he can tend the bar. I have to help them set up." He put a hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder.

"I think you will be pleasantly surprised," he said with a wink.

"Okay…………" Hitsugaya thought, as his godfather slid his hand off his shoulder and began to walk to the coffee bar to tell Kotsubaki the plan. He headed toward the bathrooms. "I wonder who this performer could be?"

Hitsugaya changed into the standard Nachtmusik barista uniform: a long sleeved white collared shirt, black bowtie, and black slacks and shoes. He never really liked the uniform, and always thought it made him look rather foolish. But nonetheless, it was part of the job, and he wouldn't complain. He didn't want to trouble his godfather more than he had to. He finished adjusting his bowtie in the bathroom mirror and headed out to the coffee bar.

Though Kotsubaki and Kiyone were rather immature sometimes, he had to admit, they were way better then he was at tending the coffee bar. They had the recipes for all the drinks memorized, and knew exactly the right amount of everything to put inside by feel. Hitsugaya, on the other hand, had to look at recipe cards and measure everything. It took Hitsugaya and Kiyone the better part of the hour to deal with the rush, and Hitsugaya finished the last customer's order just as the lights began to dim, and Ukitake took the stage to introduce the performer.

Hitsugaya looked around the room. All the seats in the house were full, and people were lined up all along the walls of the room. He began to grow increasingly curious as to who this mystery performer was.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight," Ukitake began, a welcoming smile across his face. Several female audience members sighed audibly. "Tonight we have a special performer, a budding young singer with a big heart and spirit, and a voice to match. She just sighned a contract with us, and will be performing here at Nachtmusik 4 nights a week. Please welcome the beautiful, the extremely talented-"

Hitsugaya's gaze slipped from the audience to the stage at that moment. He let out a loud gasp, and his eyes widened in total and utter surprise. His mind went blank from shock as he took in the form of a friend he hadn't seen in over 9 years.

"Hinamori Momo!"

So what do you all think? Is it too weird? Please review!


	3. Premiere

Hello! Sorry for the big gap between chapters 2 and 3…………….. but, then again, I can only see the gaps growing bigger, as school approaches and marching band rehearsal pop up. Gomen! Thank you very much to everyone who has read this far! And thank you to everyone who has reviewed……..they all make me feel very warm and fuzzy inside, and really helps me keep going when I get stuck. Thank you!!

Well, here's Ch. 3. Hinamori sings………enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or the song "Ain't no Sunshine" by Al Green. Though I wish I did……………..

Ch. 3: Premiere

"Hina….mori?" Hitsugaya breathed in disbelief. How could he have not known she would be performing? His godfather owned Nachtmusik!

Then again, he had been busy the last two weeks studying for finals, and hadn't stopped by the lounge at all during that period of time…………and Ukitake hadn't mentioned Hinamori at all……..

Ukitake left the stage, giving Hinamori the spotlight. She took the mike out of the mike stand, and began to speak, a nervous smile upon her lips.

Hitsugaya never heard a word. He was awestruck.

Hitsugaya thought Hinamori looked stunning in her long, silky, sleeveless peach colored dress. It had a simple design, but hugged all the right places, and really emphasized her girlish figure. Her flowing black hair was tied back into a tight bun surrounded by a string of peach-tinted pearls. The stage lights against her ivory skin gave her a radiant glow much like an angel or goddess.

Hinamori cued the music, and the set began. The first number was a jazzy piece, with lots of saxophone. Hitsugaya was surprised at the voice he heard coming from his childhood friend, but deeply impressed. He expected a high, peppy voice, but on the contrary, Hinamori had an astonishingly mature, sultry voice for her age, smooth as velvet with just the right rasp and spunk. He hung on her every word.

The first song ended to a roar of applause. Hinamori was quite nervous at the beginning of the set, but as the night wore on, she began to grow more comfortable on stage. Her natural enthusiasm and vigor really shown thorough her music, and during one particularly upbeat song, she got the entire lounge on its feet, dancing and clapping around the tables and couches. Even Hitsugaya joined in, snapping his fingers to the beat, a small but happy grin playing on his lips. Ukitake looked over at Hitsugaya and smiled contentedly, seeing as this was one of the rare occasions that his godson actually smiled and looked like he was enjoying himself.

"Thank you, you all have been a wonderful audience tonight!" exclaimed Hinamori breathlessly, an extremely joyful smile on her face. The audience erupted into a howl of applause and whistles.

"My last song for the evening is one that is rather close to my heart. It's helped me through a lot of rough times in my life, so excuse me if I get a little emotional." She moved a large, tan colored bar stool to the center of the stage and sat, drawing her long dress under her. Hinamori closed her eyes and put the mic to her lips, and began the song slowly and passionately, acapella.

"_Ain't no sunshine when he's gone_

_It's not warm when he's away_

_Ain't no sunshine when he's gone_

_and he's always gone too long _

_anytime he goes away_"

The music joined in at a slightly faster tempo, and Hinamori swayed to the beat, eyes still closed as she put the mic back up to her lips for the next verse.

"_Wonder this time where he's gone,  
wonder if he's gone to stay  
Ain't no sunshine when he's gone  
and this house just ain't no home  
anytime he goes away."_

The audience swayed back and forth, holding up candles and cell phones in the air.

The power of Hinamori's song opened a painful part of Hitsugaya's past. Memories flew into his mind……………Hinamori moving away, the fire, his parent's funeral…………………he felt the familiarly heavy weight of sorrow and anguish begin to settle on his chest, threatening to crush him again. Suddenly he couldn't bear to look at the stage anymore, and stared down at his balled fists resting on the front counter of the coffee bar.

"_Hey, I ought to leave the young thing alone,  
but ain't no sunshine when he's gone,  
ain't no sunshine when he's gone,  
only darkness everyday.  
Ain't no sunshine when he's gone,  
and this house just ain't no home  
anytime he goes away.  
Anytime he goes away.  
Anytime he goes away.  
Anytime he goes away  
Anytime he goes away."_

Hitsugaya only cried once in his life, so was surprised as he felt the sting of hot tears forming in the corners of his eyes. It was a struggle, but he somehow managed to suppress his tears and glance up at Hinamori as she sang the last line of the song.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held that last melancholy note, eventually fading away into silence.

The lounge shook with roar of applause and whistles as the audience stood and greeted Hinamori with a standing ovation, many still wiping away tears from the emotion of her last song. She stood from the stool, a watery smile on her face, wiping away her own tears and bowing low, waving an arm to the musicians to acknowledge them as she stood up.

"Thank you, thank you, you're all too kind," replied Hinamori as the applause began to die down. "You're all so welcoming, and I really look forward to performing here in the coming months. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of you're night!" She bowed low one last time, and exited the stage to another round of applause. The audience began to dissipate, leaving to go home or get a drink while the next act set up onstage.

"Hinamori………" Hitsugaya thought, immediately wanting to run after her. She was sitting on a couch in the left corner of the room next to the stage beside a man with slicked back, chocolate brown hair, smiling bashfully and blushing as audience members crowded around and complimented her on her wonderful performance. He prepared to leave his post, and was several feet away from the coffee bar when a felt a hand clamp tightly down on his shoulder.

"Hitsugaya-Kun, are you crazy, you can't leave me to tend the coffee bar by myself!" exclaimed Kiyone, dragging him back behind the counter. "Look at how many customers there are! You can gawk at your little girlfriend later! Right now your godfather needs us to serve customers, so that's exactly what we'll do!"

Hitsugaya looked at the line of customers forming all the way to the door with resignation in his eyes. It would be a long night……………….or so he thought until he felt another hand slam down on his shoulder with twice as much force. He turned, and saw that the hand belonged to Kotsubaki.

"Go to her Hitsugaya-kun!" Kotsubaki exclaimed, whacking Hitsugaya square on the back, sending him stumbling away from the coffee bar. "Kyouraku-san and Nanao-san have returned, and are now tending the bar, so I can take it from here. Just don't forget to take off your apron, it's a real turn off with the ladies!" Kotsubaki offered with a wink.

"Hinamori is just a friend!" Hitsugaya retorted in annoyance. But Kotsubaki had already gone to the front counter and began to serve customers, starting the epic coffee battle with Kotetsu once again.

Hitsugaya took of his apron with a grain of salt, and headed straight for the couch in the left corner of the lounge, bumping into many people and spilling drinks as he fought his way through the sea of people and noise. As he arrived, the crowd of admirers was walking away, Hinamori smiling and waving after them.

Hitsugaya's heart raced with anticipation as he stepped up to the couch. He was suddenly realized how much space 9 years had put between them, and wondered whether or not Hinamori even remembered who he was. He took a breath, feeling nervous and awkward, which was rare for the mature and collected tensai.

" You were wonderful, Hinamori," was all that Hitsugaya managed to say, hearing his heart now pounding in his ears as he struggled to hide the apprehension from his face and voice.

Hinamori's ears perked up in recognition. She slowly turned to see who it belonged to. She gasped loudly, her eyes widening in disbelief and surprise as she stared into the face of her long lost childhood friend.

"S-Shiro-Chan……….is it really……………..you?" Hinamori's voice shook as she placed a hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder. Hitsugaya nodded mutely in reply. Hinamori stared back at him with wide eyes before finally wrapping him in a bone-crushing embrace.

"Shiro-Chan, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Hinamori whispered remorsefully, tears welling in her soft, charcoal black eyes. "I didn't keep the promise……….its just, so much had happened right after I left, so much had changed………………" She released him from the hug, and held him at arm's length, tears falling freely down her cheeks. "I missed you so much Shiro-Chan, you have no idea………I'm so happy that were finally together again," she finished, a warm smile spreading across her lips as she finished.

"I've missed you to, Hinamori," Hitsugaya replied, taken aback by Hinamori's warm reaction to their reunion.

"So this must be the famous "Shiro-Chan" I've heard so much about," The man who was sitting next to Hinamori stood, giving the duo a friendly smile. He was a handsome man, tall with broad shoulders, slicked back chocolate brown hair, and kind auburn eyes. One look at him and you could tell that he was classy and cultured, by the dignified way he carried himself, and the sharp way he dressed, today going with a navy blue Armani suit.

"Yes," Hinamori replied, wiping away tears and giving him a smile. "Shiro-Chan, this is my agent, Aizen Sousuke. He's the one that got me the job here at Nachtmusik, and is being nice enough to stay with me until I get settled here."

"A pleasure to finally meet you," Aizen replied, shaking Hitsugaya's hand and giving him a welcoming smile. Hitsugaya just nodded again, surprised by the fact that Hinamori even talked about him at all, and in slight awe of Aizen.

"Well, you two must have a lot of catching up to do," Aizen said, grabbing his hat and coat from the couch. "I'm sorry, Hinamori-Kun, but I'm afraid I must be going. I have some business to attend to." He placed a hand on Hinamori's head. "You really were amazing tonight, Hinamori-Kun. I'm very proud of you." Hinamori blushed at Aizen's praise. Aizen just smiled back at her and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Call me if you need anything at all," Aizen said before turning to leave Nachtmusik.

"Aizen-Sama sure is great," Hinamori looked after him with a look of utmost adoration; her cheeks still stained a light pink. "I really do owe him a lot………….he is the one that got me a job and an apartment here, after all!"

"An…….apartment?" Hitsugaya asked, realization dawning upon him. "You're going to be living here?"

"Yep!" Hinamori replied happily. "My contract with Nachtmusik doesn't expire for a while, so I needed to get a place to stay during that time." She smiled brightly as Hitsugaya took a moment to let the information sink in.

Just a few hours ago, he didn't think he would ever see Hinamori again. Now she would be performing at Nachtmusik, and living in the same town! They would finally be together again.

"Well, a lot has happened during 9 years, huh? What do you say we make up for lost time?" Hinamori took Hitsugaya by the arm and searched for a quiet place in the lounge to sit and talk.

Hehehehhe, Aizen finally appears! I decided to go with his non glassed look, since I thought it would fit the "agent" image more. Thank you so much for reading! I'll try to get ch. 4 up as soon as I can!!


	4. Elegy of Fire and Ice

Hello!! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. The new Harry Potter book came out and the new Bleach musical…………and I got kind of caught up reading and watching. The Bleach musicals are GREAT by the way, I highly recommend them to any Bleach fan!! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder why Renji and Ichigo are Rukia's backup dancers…………….and Hitsugaya is so awesome in the musical……..I just want to put him in my pocket and take him home……….but anyways, here is Ch. 4. Thank you so much for the kind reviews, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint……

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters mentioned. If I did, I would rule the world!! Bwahahahaha!! breaks out into a Don Kanonji laugh and starts coughing violently

Ch. 4: Elegy of Fire and Ice

Hinamori lead Hitsugaya to an empty table at the back of Nachtmusik. The lounge was back to its normal capacity, now that Hinamori's performance was finished, leaving the back of the room nearly empty.

The lights dimmed, and Ukitake introduced the next performers. Hinamori and Hitsugaya sat in silence, staring bashfully down at the table as they searched for the right words to say, and a place to begin.

"Um, about the promise, I really am sorry Hitsugaya-Kun," Hinamori started softly, a look of remorse and pain in her eyes. Hitsugaya looked up at hearing the sound of his real name, and knew Hinamori must be serious. "The truth is there was a bad car accident a few days after I moved. I was in a coma for 8 months, and my mom……..passed away. When I recovered, I tried to write to you, but all my letters returned to me marked "return to sender." So I figured you had moved away, and eventually stopped writing all together. I'm sorry…………."

Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he heard Hinamori's tale. She had been through so much pain and suffering, and not once had he been able to be there for her.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Hinamori," Hitsugaya replied in a low voice, staring back down at his hands and feeling very frustrated with himself. "I should be apologizing. I wasn't able to be there for you when you needed me the most."

"Oh no, it's alright," Hinamori said consolingly, reaching across the table and placing a hand on Hitsugaya's left forearm. Hitsugaya looked up at her. "There's no way you could have known what happened, so don't feel bad. It's okay." She smiled and gave Hitsugaya's forearm a light squeeze. Hitsugaya just nodded stoically in reply.

"What about you?" Hinamori asked politely, withdrawing her hand. "What happened to you in the last 9 years? How did you end up so far away from home, and in this town of all places? Did your parents just suddenly decide to move?"

"Not exactly," Hitsugaya started, a look of bitterness forming in his aqua blue eyes. "Nearly a year after you moved away there was a bad fire. Our house was destroyed. I was at school at the time, but my parents were home. They didn't make it." He paused, Hinamori staring back with big, surprised eyes. "My godfather Ukitake took me in, and after the funeral we moved here."

"Hitsugaya-Kun………………" Hinamori breathed as the information began to sink in, her eyes still wide with shock. Suddenly she stood up from her chair, rushed to his side, and locked him in another tight hug.

"I'm sorry, Shiro-Chan, you must have been through so much………" Hinamori whispered, tears forming in her eyes at the thought of her dearest friend going through so much hardship.

"That's what I should be telling you, you stupid bed wetter," Hitsugaya replied quietly, a look of guilt in his eyes, as he hugged her back around the shoulders. They stayed like that for a moment, each making a silent vow to the other that they would try their best to heal each other's wounds, and be there no matter what.

"Hey, I'm 19 now; you can't call me that anymore!" Hinamori said after a while in a tone of mock anger, releasing the embrace. "I haven't wet the bed in years!" A playful smile formed on her lips. "But I can still call you Shiro-Chan, Shiro-Chan, because you're still as short as you were 9 years ago! In fact, you're shorter than you were back then. Before you were almost as tall as me, but now you barely reach my shoulder!"

"Quiet, Hinamori, that's only because you're wearing heels!" Hitsugaya retorted in an annoyed voice. Hinamori giggled and smiled happily.

"Well, the main thing is that were finally together again," Hinamori said with a content smile, "and I don't planning on leaving."

The rest of the night passed in a whirl of talk and laughter, as the two friends chatted the night away. They talked about anything and everything, and by the time that last song and act finished, it felt as if much of the space between had been bridged. The wall that 9 years had placed between had all but vanished. Both wished the night would never come to an end, but Hitsugaya settled on walking Hinamori back to her condo.

"It's just around the corner," Hinamori said as Hitsugaya held the lounge door open for her, and they stepped out into the chilly night air. "Aizen-Sama picked the perfect location, don't you think? It's right in the heart of town, and close to the lounge too."

"It must really be something, having a man like Aizen as your agent," Hitsugaya commented, remembering the suave, sophisticated, yet warm man he had met earlier.

"Yes, he is a wonderful man," Hinamori doted. "He's done so much for me. He discovered me at Saigaku Music Academy a year ago and took me under his wing. He got me a job at Nachtmusik, and help me find an apartment here…………….I don't know what I'd do without him." Hinamori sighed distantly.

"But what about you?" Hinamori turned the question over to Hitsugaya. "Having the great clarinetist Ukitake Jyuushirou for a godfather? You must have learned so much about music!"

"He's an idiot," Hitsugaya replied flatly. "I was 9 when I first moved in with Ojisan, and he wasn't sure if I still believed in Santa or not. So on Christmas Eve he waited until he thought I was asleep, and then sneaked into the living room of our apartment through the widow dressed in a Santa suit. I thought he was a robber, so I whacked him on the head with the lamp, and set off every burglar alarm in the house. Caused quite a commotion…………and then the next day he got sick from staying out in the cold to long waiting outside the window." Hinamori chuckled.

"Sounds like he really cares about you," Hinamori replied. There was a slight pause, and Hinamori decided it was finally time to pursue the subject.

"Hey, Shiro-Chan, you still remember the other promise, don't you?" Hinamori asked softly, pausing in the middle of the sidewalk and looking Hitsugaya straight in the eyes. "You promised that you would accompany me in a performance on the piano. The first promise may have gone bad, but we can still save the second, right? It would really mean a lot if you would."

Hitsugaya looked away. The truth was he had never touched a piano in 8 years. The only reason he had started to learn in the first place was because of Hinamori. After he had come to terms with the fact that he might never see her again, he had given up the piano entirely; it was too painful to keep on playing.

"Maybe," was all that the tensai could say, before turning and walking on ahead. Hinamori looked after him with a mixture of concern and curiosity before following.

A few minutes later, they reached a tall, blue building with many windows. Hinamori walked up to the entrance and rummaged in her purse pocket for her keys.

"Tonight was fun, ne, Shiro-Chan?" Hinamori said cheerfully, a big smile spreading across her face. "I look forward to many more! Let's make this a routine, ok?" She found her keys and stuck it into the entrance door. An electronic beep sounded, and she swung the door open.

"Oyasuminasai, Shiro-Chan! See you tomorrow!"

"Oyasumi, Hinamori," Hitsugaya replied.

Hinamori waved at him happily in the doorframe before finally letting the door swing shut behind her.

Hitsugaya stood in silence for a moment, letting everything wash over him. Hinamori's concert, Aizen, the great talk they had afterward………….it still felt a bit surreal, but it finally started to hit him that they were together again, for good. Hitsugaya couldn't help but break into a rare smile at the thought, and realized that this was the happiest he had felt in a very long time.

"Hmmmm, I think our dear Shiro-Chan's in love," an amused voice sounded behind Hitsugaya, a big but gentle hand being placed onto his shoulder. Hitsugaya jumped and whirled around. He found himself face to face with Ukitake, a mischievous glint in his eyes, that same warm smile on his face.

"Ojisan!" Hitsugaya exclaimed, his smile fading. "Why didn't you tell me that Hinamori was going to be performing at the lounge? How long had you known about it?"

"Oh, just a few weeks." Ukitake replied coolly, giving Hitsugaya a wink. "You had been working so hard on finals; I thought you could use a pleasant surprise." Hitsugaya said nothing, the usual stoic expression returning to his face.

"But you were happy to see her tonight, weren't you?" Ukitake asked, knowing the answer before the question even came to his lips. Hitsugaya suddenly grew bashful, and looked down, nodding. Ukitake just smiled.

"And you don't have to worry about her leaving anytime soon, because her contract with Nachtmusik doesn't expire for another 6 months. And judging by how popular she was on her premiere night, I think she's going to need someone to walk her home after every performance. I think were going to need a bigger lounge………." Hitsugaya nodded again, remembering Hinamori's words about "making it a routine."

"Now let's get out of this bitter cold and head home, shall we?" Ukitake gave Hitsugaya a light push in the direction of the car, as the godfather and godson sought the comfort their cozy apartment and warm bed after a long day.

So what do you think? I'm sorry if the next chapter isn't updated for a while………school starts next week and everything……….but yeah. Thank you sooooooo much for reading!!


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